


A Wish For Santa

by hollyblue2



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas fic, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Meddling Kids, dadstiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28290462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyblue2/pseuds/hollyblue2
Summary: Dean has found friendship in the father of his daughter's best friend, one that he enjoys and wants more out of, but is afraid to ask. That is until Emma has a sleepover and she and Claire begin plotting.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 30
Kudos: 201
Collections: Promptus Exchangarama





	A Wish For Santa

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iCeDreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iCeDreams/gifts).



> This is written for the Writers of Destiel Promptus Exchangarama! Where we write some prompts for someone to write and get matched up with a recipient. 
> 
> iCeDreams' prompts were really good, but I especially loved the idea of meddling kids, so I hope you like this one! 
> 
> Beta'd by tfw_cas :D

* * *

"Daaaaaaad!" Emma's voice filters through from upstairs. Dean drags a hand down his face, this is the fourth time he's been called and it's not even midday. The winter break started three days ago and he's already wishing he could go back to work. 

Emma is the best thing that ever happened to him without a single doubt about it, but some days… 

Dean traipses up the stairs, opening the door to Emma's room to find she's set out a tea party on her blanket on the floor. The tea set Santa gave her last year is shared among a Teddy bear, a t-rex figure, the doll that will forever creep Dean out (Emma loves it, Dean thinks she knows he hates it and it reminds him to kill Sam at least once a month), and herself with one set spare. 

"What's up, kiddo?" 

Emma turns and grins at him, patting the empty space beside her. "You gotta sit down for tea." 

Dean smiles. "Only if I can have coffee." 

"Fine," she says with mock exasperation. He needs serious words with Sam, because she never got that from him. 

Dean holds out the tiny cup and lets Emma expertly pour 'coffee' from the teapot. He swishes it around and takes a sip before putting on his best upper-class voice. "Hmm, yes. I guess this will do." 

"I won't hesitate to set Rex on you," she warns. 

Dean gasps. "Oh, the coffee is delicious." 

"As I thought!" 

They play together for a little while longer before Emma stops abruptly. "I'm hungry." 

"Didn't you  _ just _ eat a whole plate of cookies?" Dean teases. He knows full well they've been chomping on air. 

" _ Real  _ food, dad." 

"Alright then," he says and stands up. He's not even thirty  _ yet, _ and he still cracks and creaks like he's fifty. "Come and help me in the kitchen." 

For a moment he thinks Emma might whine but she jumps up, straightening her t-shirt before running out her bedroom door. 

"No running on the stairs!" Dean yells after her but no doubt it falls on deaf ears. Briefly he touches the ring on the cord around his neck. "Dammit Lydia, you left me with a troublemaker." Dean chuckles lightly. The troublesome side of her is all from Dean himself, and he knows that through and through. 

On hearing the banging of pans from the kitchen, Dean jogs after her. She may have a fierce independent streak, but she's still his baby and she's absolutely not allowed to cook for herself. 

Dean finds her in the kitchen, the pasta on the side, along with a pan of water that isn't full enough. 

"Pasta?" 

"Pasta," she says and then adds, "cheesy pasta!" 

Her eating habits and love for cooking extend to her too. Dean goes to the fridge and finds half a packet of pepperoni that he hasn't yet snacked on during a late night. "How about pizza pasta?" 

He hears her fist pump the air with a hissed, "yes!" so Dean dumps the ingredients on the counter before pulling up the step stool so she can reach. 

"You grate cheese, about half that block. I'll cut the pepperoni and cook the pasta, and then we'll throw it all together and broil it." 

It doesn't take long to cook, between them dancing to the music Dean sets going and then slinging the pot under the grill. While it spends the last few minutes cooking, Dean asks Emma to set the table, giving him a couple of minutes to breathe. 

"Claire asked if I could have a sleepover at hers," Emma says as they finally start eating. 

“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll give her dad a ring after lunch.” A night away sounds like a good excuse for Dean to take a breather for himself. 

Emma’s happy during the rest of lunch detailing what she and Claire might get up to. He sends her off to play again while Dean makes his phone call.

He dials the number for Cas, Claire’s father. He’s known the man for about four years, ever since Claire and Emma declared their best friend status at kindergarten. He’s a great guy, and has a son too, two years older than Claire. 

The phone rings twice before he hears Castiel’s voice on the other end. “Hello, Dean.” 

Dean smiles. “Hey, Cas. How’s it going?”

He hears Castiel sigh. “Is it really day three of the winter holidays? 

“Feels like much longer, huh?”

"I do this every year and I forget how hard it is. At least in the summer I can send them outside to play for hours. I shouldn't complain, they're both great really."

Dean chuckles. "Well, I've got my own tearaway. We already had a tea party this morning."

"Oh, the tiny cups. How useless they are for a good cup of coffee." 

"And Emma said Claire invited her over for a sleepover." 

"Did she now?" Castiel sounds suspicious, and Dean knows it's likely that Claire and Emma concocted a plan  _ before _ telling their parents. 

"Oh yeah, she was adamant about it." Dean runs a bowl of water to wash the dishes from lunch. 

"She's more than welcome over. You too, I'm sure we can squeeze in a much needed coffee before you leave. I bought some new coffee pods for my machine. I'm dying to try the gingerbread one now it's nearly Christmas." 

Dean smiles at Castiel's enthusiasm for his coffee maker. 

"Well, that's sold me!" Dean tells him. Truthfully, he knows there's more than Cas' coffee machine to make him come over. 

"So this weekend?" Dean asks.

"It's a date," Castiel says. He always says that and it always throws Dean for a loop. He knows Castiel means it as a play date, even though Emma and Claire have grown out of those. 

"See you Saturday." 

Emma talks his ear off about Saturday for two whole days, even as she's buckled into her booster seat in the Impala. Arriving at Castiel's house is a welcome sight. 

She waits patiently in the car for Dean to get out first and open her door, and then she takes his hand as they walk up the path to Castiel's front door. 

"Are you going to knock?" Dean asks Emma, and then watches as she reaches for the knocker. 

Castiel answers the door, and Dean loves seeing his smile brighten as their eyes meet. 

"Hey!" 

"Hello Dean, Emma," he greets. Then he shouts back to Claire. 

She comes running up behind Castiel, nearly face planting his side before squeezing through to grab Emma. 

Dean eyes them both with suspicion as Claire whispers in Emma's ear and they giggle. Then they disappear off into the house. 

"Wonder what that was about," Dean comments casually as he follows Castiel into the kitchen. 

"Who knows. Claire gave me an odd look earlier when I told her you'd be staying for a short while, and Jack's been quieter than normal but insists he's fine. I trust he would tell me if there's a problem. Honestly, they're both a bit weird."

"They get that from you," Dean tells him instinctively. It's his favourite thing about Castiel though. They’ve been friends long enough now that insulting one another (when the children aren’t around) isn’t weird. 

“Likely, I’m mostly hopeless about the whole  _ human _ thing.” 

“Good job you have me,” he says, elbowing him. It causes Castiel’s coffee to slosh a little. Dean gets a whiff off it, the pleasant spiciness of it making him feel warm. “Your coffee smells great.” 

“Try some,” Castiel says, handing the cup to Dean. Dean drinks from the side Castiel didn’t, and it’s like heaven in a cup. “See, told you it was better than coffee blacker than your soul.” 

“Yeah, alright.”

“I told-”

“Don’t you even say it,” Dean warns playfully with a glare.

Castiel gives Dean a grin before sitting back in his chair quietly and sipping his coffee. The silence between them is companionable and easy. Dean can hear the girls playing upstairs, but they’re not loud enough to disturb either of them. Jack is quiet, but he’s usually happy to play video games with his friends. 

“Dad?” Jack comes into the kitchen, stopping when he sees Dean and going quiet. “Oh, hello, Dean.” 

“Hey.”

“Um, Claire was asking about the mall Santa and if we could go.”

Dean had totally forgotten about that. Maybe he should mention it to Emma and see if she wants to go next week sometime. 

“Just Claire asking?” Cas asks Jack. 

“Well, Clark said he went yesterday, so I wanted to go too.” 

“Of course we’ll go. How about tomorrow? We can bring Emma along, and also Dean, if they like.” 

Castiel looks at Dean expectantly, a happy glint in his eye, and there’s no way to deny that look. “Sounds perfect.”

“That’s settled then." 

Jack smiles brightly, glancing between the two of them. "I'll go tell Claire and Emma." He trots off happily, feet heavy on the stairs. 

Dean and Castiel are quiet for a moment as they're left alone once again. Dean loves taking Emma to see Santa, it's something he never got to do as a kid, so—when he remembers—he makes the effort to give Emma a great day out. 

This time he's excited because she'll get to do it with her best friend, and Dean and Cas can get them all hot chocolates with all the extra cream and shavings on top. 

"She's going to love it," Dean comments as he sips his coffee. 

"We can go for lunch afterwards."

"And hot chocolate?" Dean wonders.

"Naturally. You look good with a cream moustache." 

It’s such a stupid little thing, but all of Dean's brain function grinds to a halt for a moment just hearing it. It doesn't even mean what he hopes it would mean, but the effect is still the same. 

Dean downs the rest of his coffee to hide his reddening cheeks. Castiel doesn't even seem to have noticed. He looks at his watch, knowing he should go and do Emma's Christmas presents while he's able to escape from her for a moment.

"I should probably head off. Santa needs to do some shopping and wrapping." Dean smiles and Castiel gives him a small nod. 

"Emma will be fine, goodness knows what they're plotting, but they're always up to something. Thanks for stopping for coffee." Castiel stands and walks Dean to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, say ten?" 

"Yeah, perfect. Give me a call if she's any trouble." It's not the first time he's left Emma, nor left Emma with Cas. It still worries him, as much as he's eager to have a night to himself. 

"Bye, Emma!" Dean calls past Castiel. She doesn't answer and Dean sighs. "Well, nice to know she's engrossed in whatever at least. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"I have your number," Castiel reminds him, trying to ease his worry, though they've been texting for the past four years so that is obvious. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

Dean hurries back to the Impala, shuddering against the cold air breezing through. He drives straight to the mall, intent on finishing his shopping, and then spends the evening sat in the middle of his living room with a ginger ale and some crappy Christmas music. 

In the end, topped off with some gory horror movie he wouldn't dream of putting on with Emma in the house, it's a nice evening, but he definitely misses his routine with Emma. 

Even though she's older now and doesn't depend on him to do a lot of things, goodnight cuddles and tucking her into bed are his favourites. 

It's these times he misses Lydia the most, the fact she never got to have all these moments with Emma. He looks to the framed picture on the wall of Lydia's squadron and the folded flag resting on the mantelpiece, behind garland and lights. 

A bit too quickly for his own brain to catch up with, his thoughts turn to Castiel. Between them they've built a strong relationship, both of them know that, but his feelings for Castiel extend beyond that, though he's sure that he'll never tell Castiel in fear of making things awkward. The other side of it is that Castiel smiles and kisses him, but his luck just isn't that good. 

* * *

Dean wakes the next morning to quiet. Sleepovers don't happen often, so this is a rare moment that he doesn't hear the TV blaring some goofy kids show at seven in the morning. 

Instead, when he wakes up, it's already gone nine and panic sets in instantly. 

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuuuck.  _

He's too fast scrambling out of bed, silver sparkles appearing in his vision as he's hit by a headrush getting to the shower. He showers and dresses—his favourite jeans and the worst Christmas jumper he could find that was suitable for kids' eyes—and heads downstairs to grab something to eat before he leaves, the toaster taking the longest it has ever taken to toast a single slice of bread. 

It makes Dean jump when it pops, and he burns his fingers handling it and buttering it before wolfing it down. 

Grabbing his wallet and phone, checking for any messages from Castiel, Dean's out the door a few minutes later than he had intended. He doesn't want to turn up grouchy, but the disproportionate amount of slow-ass drivers on the road is incredible, when Dean gets stuck behind all of them in the twenty minute drive to Castiel's house. 

He turns up at just gone ten. He knocks on the door, and it's a welcome sight to see Castiel wearing a gaudy Christmas jumper with an apron on top, spatula in hand. 

"Just in time for breakfast!" 

"Breakfast?" 

"Well, second breakfast," he amends. Dean follows him back into the house, closing the front door behind him. 

Jack, Claire and Emma are all sat at the table island, grins on their faces as pancakes are made before them. 

"Dad! Cas made pancakes!"

"I can see," he responds as Emma jumps down from the stool to give him a big hug. "How you doing, pumpkin?" 

"Claire and I stayed up  _ really  _ late!" She tells him excitedly. 

"Nine. They went to bed at nine," Castiel clarifies quietly as he flips the pancake and stacks it with the other two on Jack's plate. 

"Nine o'clock! Well, I guess you're too tired to see Santa today then," he teases.

"No!" she protests. "I'm awake, I'm very awake." 

"Emma, do you want two or three pancakes?" Castiel asks. 

"Three please." 

Dean smiles. 

"And you, Dean?" 

"Three, please." 

Castiel gets to cooking and eventually they're all eating pancakes, Dean's three are larger than Emma's, a neat trick if Dean doesn't say so himself. 

Breakfast goes by with quiet munching on pancakes. Dean watches as Castiel sneakily pours a little more syrup on his pancake without the younger ones noticing, and gives him a knowing smirk. 

He likes the way Castiel flushes at being caught. Dean returns his attention back to his own food, trying not to think about Castiel. Maybe he needs to get laid, maybe that will sort the problem out. Not with Castiel—of course not, though he certainly wouldn't object—just with anyone who isn't his own hand and the bottle of lube in his nightstand. 

* * *

Dean pulls the bobble hat down over Emma's ears, it's not too cold outside, but she looks cute in it. 

"Whose car?" 

"We can take mine, it's parked behind yours anyway," Dean says as they leave the house. He hears a cheer from Claire as he announces it. 

Castiel turns to his daughter. "There's nothing wrong with my car," he says. 

Both Jack and Claire give Castiel a look that has Dean laughing loudly. 

"Dean!" 

"Come on, man. A continental?"

"She's a classic!" 

"Oh no… no no, she really isn't."

Castiel scowls at him, but goes into the backseat of the continental to retrieve the booster seats for Jack and Claire. 

Once everyone is buckled in, Dean somewhat reluctantly changes the station to one playing cheesy Christmas songs. Despite that, he sings along. The whole way there he hopes that he really does catch Castiel looking at him. 

The mall is busy and Dean hates it. Emma holds his hand, and Claire is holding on to Castiel while Jack leads the way to the Santa. The queue is long, but with Emma and Claire practically bouncing with excitement, Dean and Castiel decide it's worth the wait. 

"What are your plans for Christmas?" Castiel asks him, letting the girls and Jack wait ahead of them. 

"Probably take Emma up to see my brother and his kids, I think Jody said she'd be there too with her partner, so it will be nice to see them again. Oh! Did I ever tell you? Eileen is pregnant again!" 

Dean's been excited about a new niece or nephew ever since Sam told him. 

"That's wonderful Dean, I'm sure his other two are going to love a new sibling."

"I need to wish him luck with three of them." 

"Two is tiring, but I'm lucky enough that they get along most of the time." 

Dean looks to Emma, chatting away with a big smile on her face. It's unlikely she'll ever have a brother or sister and it shouldn't bother him, but he wonders if she ever feels lonely. Dean's own brother means everything to him, and he couldn't imagine living without him. 

There's a gentle hand on his arm and Dean looks up to see Castiel's curious face. "Sorry," Dean mumbles. 

"No need to apologise, you're doing amazing, okay? Emma has friends and your family, she has us."

"How did you—?"

"You had that look." It's all he says before giving him a smile.

There's a tug on his sleeve, and Dean looks down to see Emma looking up at him. For a moment he thinks something is wrong, but there's a mischievous look on her face. 

"What's up?" 

"Nothing." Dean watches as her eyes flick between him and Cas. 

"Okay then, look we're nearly there now. Just three more people. Do you know what you're going to ask for?" 

Emma nods enthusiastically, and Claire and Jack join in. 

"Can we go in together?" Emma asks. 

"Sure," Dean says. 

The attendant welcomes them all into where Santa is sitting on a wooden throne, surrounded by Christmas trees and decorations, and a huge sack of fake presents. The space is lit up with gentle lights around the place, and a very joyous man waits for the kids. 

"And who do we have here?" Santa asks. 

"I'm Claire, this is Emma!" 

"I'm Jack."

"Are you sisters?" 

"No," Emma chirps up. "She's my bestest friend, but Jack's her brother. That's my dad."

"And that's our dad." 

"Oh, wonderful! Come here then, and let's hear about what you all want for Christmas."

Dean smiles as he watches them all crowd around him, snapping a couple of photos on his phone before sending them to Castiel right there and then. They stand shoulder to shoulder on one side, as Emma leans in and whispers something in Santa's ear. He has no idea what she's asked for, which makes it difficult to add it to her Christmas list. He glances over at Castiel and gives him a little shrug. 

"I don't know, man." 

"They've been whispering all weekend. It's very suspect."

"Is this the start of some uprising?" 

"No, Dean." Castiel rolls his eyes. 

"You're the best!" Claire exclaims, and both Dean and Cas return their attention to the three kids. 

"Thank you," Castiel says to Santa, and Dean sees his eyes flick between the two of them before smiling behind his beard. 

They lead a very excitable Emma and Claire out of the small cabin, Jack trailing along behind them. 

"Hey dad, can I have five dollars?" Jack asks suddenly. 

Castiel stops, tilting his head at Jack. "What for?" 

Jack looks back for a moment, and Dean tries to follow his sight. 

"The orange things for the tree. They smell nice and we don't have any this year." Jack's got his puppy eyes down to a T; even Dean is having a hard time resisting, and it's not his kid. 

Castiel considers for a moment, Dean can practically see the gears turning in his mind.

"Okay," Castiel digs five dollars out of his wallet, handing it over to Jack, who smiles brightly. "You go, and you come right back with what you need. We'll wait here where we can see you." 

"I can do it." 

Jack goes off, making a beeline for the little stall selling Christmas things. There are a few wreaths lined up, and bunches of mistletoe hanging from a pole with the bright orange and cinnamon decorations on another. 

Knowing Castiel will welcome the comfort, Dean lays a gentle hand on his arm like Castiel had done for him earlier. Castiel's eyes don't leave his son, but they soften as Dean touches him.

Soon enough, Jack is back with the orange and cinnamon sticks in his hand and some change. 

"Thanks, dad." 

"Let's go have some lunch," Dean says, and everyone perks up at that. 

They decide on pizza from the food court, and then Dean treats everyone to a hot chocolate with all the trimmings just like he had promised Castiel the other day. 

True to himself, Dean earns a cream moustache, making Emma and Claire giggle, and Dean is pretty sure Castiel is blushing with his amusement. He makes a fool of himself trying to wipe it away, until Castiel reaches over and shoves a napkin on his face. 

They head back to the car afterwards; just as they're about to leave the mall, all three kids stop and turn to face Dean and Castiel. 

Claire digs in her pocket, and pulls out what Dean assumes to be a sprig of mistletoe like he'd seen at the stand earlier when Jack had gone off. She holds it up as high as she can between them, standing on her tiptoes. 

"Now you have to kiss," Emma states, giving Dean a look. Most of the time that kind of attitude doesn't go down well, but this time Dean can only look to Castiel. 

"Oh, um. That's very sweet, girls, but we shouldn't do it here," Castiel explains. 

Dean's brain short circuits—that wasn't a no, just a not yet—and he gives Castiel a startled look. 

"Plus, I think that's something Dean and I would have to discuss first." 

Dean's dying to say  _ something _ . "A kiss on the cheek wouldn't be so bad," he blurts.  _ Anything but that _ . 

Castiel smiles, crows feet at the corner of his eyes, eyes bright and cheeks rosy. 

He leans over, a hand on Dean's stubbly jaw, and then there's the soft press of lips against his cheek. 

The squeal from Emma brings him out of his dumbfoundness almost instantly, but he can't help but grin.

"Thanks," Dean says, nearly breathless. 

"See, Santa does promise!" Claire announces happily. 

"They made me ask for it too, and not the guinea pig I wanted," Jack tells them. 

Dean laughs, still giddy from the simple kiss. 

The drive home is filled with excited chatter and rosy cheeks. 

"You should come in… for coffee. I'll make you the gingerbread one you liked yesterday." 

"Okay." Dean gets out of the car, the kids curiously quiet as they run to the front door. As Castiel unlocks it, Dean turns to Emma. "We're staying about an hour, okay. No more scheming." He boops her on the nose playfully and she gives him her most angelic look. 

As the three kids disappear upstairs, Dean and Castiel are left stranded in the kitchen feeling awkward. 

"A whole hour? What do we do with all that time?" Dean asks. He doesn't want to hint too much to the conversation Castiel suggested, but if it goes that way Dean's not going to be upset. Frankly, he'd rather skip the talking and go straight to the action. 

"I'll make coffee." 

Dean watches as Castiel fills the Keurig with water and sets a mug underneath it. He doesn't turn back around, facing out the window into the backyard. 

Instead, Dean does what he hopes won't end in disaster and goes up behind him. A hand on Castiel's arm, Dean turns him around to face him. Then his hands go up to Castiel's face, eyes kind and waiting. 

Dean tilts his head a little, and with the steady thumping of his own heartbeat in his chest, he does the one thing he's been waiting to do. His lips press against Castiel's, all soft and warm and within moments, they're kissing properly. 

Too soon, the Keurig stops gurgling and Castiel pulls away. "Your… coffee." Castiel coughs, but his cheeks are flushed, even his ears are red. 

"Oh, sure." A mug is thrust into his hands as Castiel sets it up again. As the second one gurgles away, neither of them say anything. It's an intense silence, with them both looking at one another. 

Castiel's coffee finishes. 

"Um… that was…" Dean's hand tightens around the scalding hot mug. "Okay, right?" It's all out in the open now, if not with words, then with the very obvious actions they just made with one another. 

That was far more than an awkward peck on the cheek. That had  _ meaning _ .

"Dean," Castiel starts. 

Dean worries, panics. Honestly considers running right there and then. 

"I think we should do it again—to make sure—while the coffee cools." 

Dean grins, the butterflies calming and then working up a storm again, as Castiel comes towards him and kisses him again. Dean ends up with his back pressed against the cupboard, and only part of him remembers there are children in the house and this is certainly not PG. It's long awaited, needed and desperate. The way Castiel's lips are against his own like they're his source of air. It gives Dean a sense of life and fulfilment that he's been missing for years, something that no one else could give him. 

The television in the living room turns on, and reluctantly they pull apart. 

Dean should probably at least thank Claire and Jack for conspiring with Emma. It seems neither of them were discreet about their feelings for the other, except to each other. 

Straightening up a little, they both join the kids in the living room to watch whatever has been decided. 

Emma looks at him, wide eyes and curious as he enters, heading for the two person couch beside Castiel. 

"Does this mean you're both our dads now?" Emma asks. 

Before Dean can splutter an answer, Castiel speaks. "Not quite yet. There may be some time." 

_ Not yet. Not yet. Holy shit _ . 

If Dean could pick a moment of bliss, it would be then. 

Castiel looks at him with a sense of adoration, and the kids go back to watching the television. Slowly, but surely—with one hand on his mug—the other hand reaches out to Castiel. 

They still ought to talk, but this is a good start. 

A very merry Christmas for them all. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this fic! 
> 
> Have a very merry Christmas to those who celebrate and happy holidays in general! 
> 
> I hope 2021 brings more joy and greatness to all of you! 
> 
> I'll be back with more fics (of course)


End file.
